


Pretty Cool

by Baroness_Blixen



Category: The X-Files
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Post-Season/Series 11, short piece, that apollo 11 keychain
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-22
Updated: 2019-07-22
Packaged: 2020-07-10 16:16:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19908595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Baroness_Blixen/pseuds/Baroness_Blixen
Summary: 50 years ago, the first humans landed on the moon. Many, many years later Mulder gave his partner a keychain commemorating the mission. And in 2019? Scully has a gift for Mulder.





	Pretty Cool

“I have a gift for you,” Scully whispers into his ear, her breath tickling him, her words making him smile.

“Hmm,” he hums, thinking he knows what gift she is talking about; they’ve just put Katie to bed and the house is quiet, sleepy. Mulder links his fingers with hers, silently asking her to join him on the couch. She slips into his lap instead, cuddling close to him, like a kitten. He smiles against her neck, leaving tiny kisses there.

They’re like teenagers lately - that’s what Jackson has been saying, with a grumble and a half-hidden smile. This is their second chance at everything. Their relationship, their children; a whole life.

“It’s not what you’re thinking.” As if reading his thoughts, Scully reins in his expectations.

“Any gift from you is very appreciated,” he promises. “What is it?” She chuckles; they both know he’s never been patient. She reaches into her pocket and takes out a small, shiny object.

“I’ve been carrying it around for a while,” she says, putting a keychain into his hand. The metal is warm on his skin and he touches it softly.

“Apollo 11,” he says, smiling and turning it around, knowing exactly what he’ll find. “Commemorating Apollo Eleven and the mission to the moon, July 1969,” he mumbles.

“It’s not the same one you gave me.”

“No, you gave that one away.” A lifetime ago, but not forgotten. How trite it seems today, his feelings back then. The bitter taste of jealousy that stemmed from not knowing where he belonged, whether Scully wanted, needed him. There’s no question about that today.

“That’s why I’m regifting now,” she whispers and the words seem familiar, make him tingle, but that’s all.

“I’m surprised you remember it.”

“Like I’d forget a birthday present from you. Didn’t get that many,” she teases. “Do you remember it?”

“Of course I do.”

“Then why wouldn’t I?”

He turns the keychain over in his hand and the metal catches the light, glints. “So, what’s the occasion?”

“It was 50 years ago,” Scully marvels. Her fingers join his on the keychain, their fingertips touching.

“I remember.” He really does. The excitement of it all, back then. “Are you making fun of my age?”

“No,” Scully chuckles. “When I saw it the other day, I couldn’t walk past it. It reminded me of you, of us. No one gets there alone.” The crack in her voice makes him look at her. There are tears swimming in her eyes.

“Without you, I wouldn’t be here,” she says. It sounds like a vow.

“Neither would I be, without you,” he repeats her words, knowing it’s the truth. His sentiment is a vow; he’s long made the commitment. For him, there’s only her. Always.

She cups his cheek. “We did this together. The good and the bad.” He thinks of their baby daughter sleeping upstairs, their son who spends more time here than away from them. Their life together. All of it. They’ve always been a good team, through it all.

“I still think it’s a pretty cool keychain,” Mulder says, breaking the tension, grinning at her. He wonders if he smiled at her all those years ago. All he remembers is her face, in the moonlight, taking his heart hostage.

“So do I.”

For once, they agree.


End file.
